howto hydroponics 3rd ed

In this method of cultivation, plants are provided with the nutrients required for growth by a “nutrient” solution which is basically nutrient enriched mineral water.. These plants are r

B y K e i t h R o b e r t o

3rd Edition

The complete guide to building

and operating your own indoor

and outdoor hydroponic gardens.

Includes detailed instructions

and step-by-step plans.

H y d r o p o n i c s

HowTo

The author of this information and its publishers disclaim any personal liability, loss

or risk incurred as a consequence of the use and application, either directly orindirectly, of any advice, information or methods presented herein

The right and license to all publications, images and copy contained within arereserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, sold or pre-sented to or for anyone other than the purchasing agent granted specific license attime of purchase Contact author at address below for licensing content

Copyright 2000Keith Roberto

Distributed by:

FutureGarden, Inc

457 Main St PMB 323Farmingdale, New York 11735http://futuregarden.com/

Foreword 6

Water - the basis of life 7

Hydroponics - a quick overview 8

The organic composition of plants 10

Plant nutrition 11

The nutrient solution 12

Hydroponic nutrient recipes 13

Measuring nutrient concentration and pH 14

It’s all about the roots! 16

Soilfree hydroponic mediums 18

Let there be light 20

Indoor lighting for horticulture 22

Environmental control and automation 24

Supercharging your garden with CO2 25

Getting started with seeds 27

Making clones of your favorite plant 28

Stocking your hydroponic garden 29

Stages of growth 30

Growers guide to popular plants 32

Problems with your plants? 33

Integrated Pest Management Web Sites 35

Making a market for your garden 36

Types of hydroponic systems 39

Planning your hydroponic garden 42

Three inexpensive hydroponic gardens you can build 43

Build a hydroponic planter 45

Build the aeroponic AerospringTM garden 48

Build the pvc pipe hydroponic systems 57

The spare closet garden 69

Conclusion 70

Read Me 71

Give a man a meal,

feed him once

Teach a man to fish,

feed him for life

How To Hydroponics was written to provide you with a basic education in the science of hydroponics whilegiving you the hands on experience that makes learning fun and effective It covers all the information youshould need to gain a basic understanding of the science and develop a working knowledge of the technology.You will learn, step-by-step, to build the hydroponic system of your choice from the plans included within.Whether you grow for food, fun or profit, we’ll show you how to start growing your favorite flowers, herbs andveggies with this exciting technology

How-To Hydroponics is the result of nearly a decade of research and development in the exciting field of ponics We have spared no expense to provide you with all the knowledge you’ll need to get growing withhydroponics successfully We have made every effort to ensure that all questions and discrepancies brought toour attention from the original publication have been answered and corrected in this newly revised edition Ofcourse, there may be some things that we’ve overlooked - so please bring anything you find to our attention forfuture corrections Email me at: kr@futuregarden.com

hydro-It is recommended that you read this book in the order it has been assembled so you will not miss out on tant information that could jeopardize your efforts Take the time to read the book entirely before you begin anytype of construction, as there is a wealth of important information within that may effect your choice of whichgarden to build and ultimately affect your garden’s success

impor-For those new to gardening, we begin with a brief introduction to Hydroponics and then move right into a basicreview on the biology and chemistry principles that will help you understand how to grow perfect plants - don’tworry - it’s all real basic stuff! From there, we move on to planning your hydroponic garden so that you get themost out of your available space and build the system that is right for you At the end of each set of plans there

is a “Get Growing” page that will outline the proper use of the system and how to start your favorite crops in it

Since the Hydroponic industry is still rather small and there aren’t many local shops at which to purchasesupplies, we’ve established an online garden store that specializes in hydroponic garden supplies and evenprefabricated gardens for those of you who can’t wait to get started! In cooperation with some of the bestcompanies in the industry, we are constantly striving to include a complete selection of components, nutrientsand accessories that you may require to build and maintain the gardens featured in this publication If you can’tfind it locally, try: http://futuregarden.com/store.html

Good Luck and Happy growing!

Keith Roberto

Thank you for purchasing How-To Hydroponics

Water - the basis of life

Known as the universal solvent, without water life on Earth would not

exist Right now, deep space probes are searching the far reaches of our

solar system for water while three quarters of our own planet is bathed in

it Every living cell contains water Every living plant depends on it to

thrive This book is about water How to manage it, infuse it with the

nutrition vital to plants and deliver it to their thirsty roots

In nature, fire and water act together to recharge the soil with nutrients

When forests burn, wood is turned to ash Wood ash is rich in Potassium,

one of the plant kingdom’s fundamental foods When the rains come,

lifeless leaves and fallen branches are helped along their path to decay

Animals and insects hasten this process by their consumption of plants and

excretion of organic wastes

Organic matter in the soil is biologically decomposed into the basic

nutri-ent salts that plants feed on Falling rains once again help in dissolving

these salts and making them available for plants to absorb through their

roots For a plant to receive a well balanced diet, everything in nature

must be in perfect harmony Forests must burn, animals must eat, rains

must come, wood must rot, microbes in the soil must work Rarely, if

ever, can you find such ideal conditions occurring on a regular basis In fact, Earth’s rainforests may be the onlyexamples left of near perfect botanical conditions Visit one if you ever get the chance

Hydroponics is about enriching water with the very same nutrient salts as found in nature It is about creatingand maintaining a “nutrient solution” that is perfectly balanced for your plants Most hydroponic systemscontain the nutrient solution and protect it from evaporating and from discharging into our environment unlikethe runoff from exposed, fertilized soil This conservative approach to water management is what makes hydro-ponics the method of choice in drought stricken area worldwide and as a result is rapidly becoming known as

“Earth Friendly Gardening.”

Since you will be practicing the art of “water gardening”, it is a wise idea to know what your local water contains.This can be done by calling your water company and asking for an analysis If your water comes from a well,you will most likely have to send it out to a lab for analysis The most important factor affesting water quality isthe “hardness” or “softness” of the water Hard water means that there is alot of dissolved mineral content, prima-rily calcium carbonate which usually shows up as scale on hot water pipes Soft water is generally very pure orlow in dissolved solids Distilled or water that has been through a reverse osmosis filter would be considered soft.There exists on the market a number of nutrient formulations that are specific for hard or soft water applications It

is a good idea to keep this in mind when purchasing or mixing up your own nutrients

Hydroponics - a quick overview

Truly a wonder of modern science - hydroponic gardens produce bountiful

harvests of fruit, vegetables, grains, herbs and flowers in places never before

able to sustain growth Hydroponic gardens produce the healthiest crops

with the highest yields and vitamin content thanks to their perfectly

bal-anced nutrient solutions Modern hydroponic methods provide food for

millions of people worldwide and supply you, me and the food service

industry with superior produce In fact, hydroponic cultivation is so

effec-tive, NASA has devised an advanced method of hydroponics for use in outer

space The science of hydroponics began with experimentation into

deter-mining the elementary composition of plants These experiments have been

dated as early as 1600 A.D., however, records show that plants have been

cultivated in soilfree mixtures of sand and gravel even earlier The hanging

gardens of Babylon and the floating gardens of the Mexican Aztecs are

perfect examples of early hydroponic gardening Egyptian hieroglyphics

have even been found depicting the cultivation of plants in water as far back

as several hundred years BC

The word "Hydroponics" was coined by Dr W.F Gericke in 1936 to

de-scribe the cultivation of both edible and ornamental plants in a solution of

water and dissolved nutrients The simple meaning is derived from the Greek "Hydro"- meaning water, and

"Ponos"- meaning labor In this method of cultivation, plants are provided with the nutrients required for growth

by a “nutrient” solution which is basically nutrient enriched mineral water This nutrient solution can be circulatedaround the roots by either the passive force of gravity or the active force of an electromechanical pump Somesystems simply bath the roots in nutrient solution and use an air pump to oxygenate the solution from below toprevent stagnation and provide the roots with important oxygen

Plants grown hydroponically are healthier than their soil grown counterparts since they receive a perfectlybalanced diet and do not come in contact with soilborne pests and diseases Super efficient hydroponic systemslike the ones we show you how to build conserve water and nutrients by preventing evaporation and runoff Aridregions where water is scarce can now grow crops with hydroponics Since hydroponic systems deliver waterand nutrients directly to the plant, crops can be grown closer together without starving each other and healthierplants add to a higher yield By growing crops in a sterile environment, under ideal conditions, hydroponicssaves the costs of soil preparation, insecticides, fungicides and losses due to drought and ground flooding

NASA space agriculture

display at Epcot Center TM

Orlando, Florida.

In soil, plants waste a tremendous amount of energy developing a large root

system to search for moisture and nutrients When grown hydroponically,

the roots are bathed or sprayed with nutrients dissolved in water This way

their energy can be redirected into the production of more foliage, flowers,

fruits and vegetables

Plants grown hydroponically are healthier because they receive a well

bal-anced 'diet' They are more vigorous because little energy is wasted

search-ing for water and nutrients As a result, hydroponically grown produce is

generally larger, tastier, and more nutritious than the same produce grown in

soil In order to give the physical support soil would normally provide, a

sterile medium such as sand, gravel, rocks, cocofiber or rockwool (or

combi-nation of each) may be used In the case of aeroponics, no medium is used

and the plants receive physical support from baskets and in this case, wires

suspended from the roof These plants are rotated through a chamber that

supplies their roots with a fine spray of water and hydroponic nutrients

Oxygen to the roots increases a plant’s metabolism substantially

Some advantages of replacing soil with a sterile medium are:

1 Elimination of soil borne pests, funguses and diseases

2 Elimination of troublesome weeds and stray seedlings

3 Reduction of health risks and labor costs associated with pest management and soil care

At the Environmental Research Laboratory (ERL) at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Dr Carl Hodges and

Dr Merle Jensen in conjunction with Walt Disney Productions, have developed new concepts for presentinghydroponic technologies to the public in an entertaining way The ERL helped create two attractions called

"Listen to The Land" and "Tomorrow’s Harvest" - both major facilities at Epcot Center near Orlando, Florida

Hydroponics is NASA's solution to provide a self sufficient food source for future space stations and proposedvisitors to mars The administration has sponsored a research program titled Controlled Ecological Life SupportSystem (CELSS) in order to further develop the technology

and carry it into the future The picture below is of Epcot/

NASA’s Space Agriculture expo as seen from a tour of the

Epcot Center attraction The lighting used in these

ex-amples is high pressure sodium or HPS, which delivers an

excellent spectrum of color and output in lumens High

Intensity Discharge (H.I.D.) lighting, which includes the

HPS and metal halide type lamps, is the best lighting to use

when gardening indoors or supplementing natural lighting

outdoors due to its efficiency and close representation of

the sun’s natural light color and intensity

Aeroponic Squash at Epcot Center

The organic composition of plants

To develop a strong understanding of hydroponics, we must first review the organic composition of plants Themolecule is the smallest recognizable assembly of atoms that can be identified as being a specific element

Common elements are: Hydrogen - Oxygen - Gold - Silver etc All organic matter on Earth is comprised of at

least four basic elements In fact, the scientific qualification for labelling matter organic is that it must becomprised of the following elements; Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen Over 90% of a plant’s dryweight is comprised of these four organic elements The interesting thing is that while many claim that plantsgrown hydroponically are not “organic”, ANYTHING THAT CAN GROW IS ORGANIC!

The atmosphere of our planet is comprised of approximately

78% Nitrogen, 20% Oxygen and 2% Carbon dioxide, in

addition to a small percentage of inert gases Carbon dioxide

is known as a compound since it is a combination of one

Carbon molecule and two Oxygen molecules Most elements

exist as compounds in nature because they are chemically

unstable when pure in form, reacting with other other elements

until stabilized into compounds This is an important issue

when choosing nutrients to use with your hydroponic system

-keep this in mind when you read about a single part nutrient that

contains “everything” - if this were the case, the nutrient would

become useless in a short amount of time as the elemental salts within would rapidly combine into compoundsyour plants simply cannot absorb The compound H2O (water) is made of two parts Hydrogen and one partOxygen H20 is formed when Hydrogen, an unstable gas, is burned or oxidized (combined with Oxygen) Since

C, H, and O are readily available in both the air and water, plants possess the ability to extract these elements fromeither and use them to create food Light provides the energy to make this possible

(O) Oxygen

Required to form sugars, starches and cellulose Oxygen is essential for the process of respiration which vides energy plants utilize to grow

pro-(N) Nitrogen

Necessary for the formation of amino acids, co-enzymes and chlorophyll

For a plant to develop properly, it must have access to all the necessary elements Because these four elementsoccur naturally, most people rarely consider them when discussing plant nutrition It should be stressed that theexclusion or depletion of any one of these elements would cause death of the organism Just as you are whatyou eat, so are your plants so feed them a well balanced diet

Plant nutrition

Macro nutrients are absorbed in large quantities

They serve the following purposes once ingested:

Protein synthesis requires high potassium levels Hardiness,

root growth, and the manufacture of sugar and starch also

re-quire potassium

Micro nutrients are absorbed in smaller quantities

They serve these purposes:

Chlorophyll formation, respiration and nitrogen metabolism

Most nutrients are listed with the amounts of N-P-K represented in percentages For instance, a 10-10-10 tion would contain 10% Nitrogen 10% phosphorus and 10% potassium by weight If you do the math, you willfind this concentration adds up to only 30% - this is because the remaining percentage usually consists of a filler

solu-of chelating materials used to assist the nutritional process Use only nutrients specifically designed for ponics, as conventional formulas prepared for plants grown in soil do not contain the proper balances I person-ally favor the two and three part nutrient formulas as they always outperform the general purpose nutrients Thetwo and three part formulas allow you to custom blend for each crop and stage of growth

hydro-The nutrient solution

Compare the measure of a plants health to the strength of a chain, it too is only as strong as its weakest link Toinsure that your 'chain' is strong, it is very important to make sure all the links are in place, and in good supply.Proper concentration of nutrients within the solution is critical, as hydroponically grown plants are completelydependant upon it for food and different plants have varying nutrient requirements Most commercially availablehydroponic nutrients now

come with instructions for

mixing solutions specific to

plant types, stages of growth

and growing conditions

There is a great number of

commercially available

nutrients on the market which

makes getting started in

hydroponics easy for the beginner not looking to make their own nutrients When selecting a nutrient to use withyour garden, there are a few things you need to look for The most important factor is that the nutrient be designedSPECIFICALLY FOR HYDROPONIC application Using a supplemental fertilizer like Miracle Grow or Peter’s

is not advised as these formulas are designed for use as a supplement to soil based gardens and do not contain thetrace and micro-nutrients essential to the plant the second consideration in choosing a nutrient is that of using apowder or liquid formula Multi-purpose, single part powdered nutrients are o.k for growing plants hydroponi-cally under low to moderate lighting conditions

If you plan to grow under High Intensity Discharge lighting or in strong, direct sunlight, you will find using a part powdered or liquid nutrient gives you better performance The reason for this is simple, one part, multipurposenutrients are designed to satisfy the widest range of plants, lighting conditions and stages of growth They are notcustom-blendable according to your specific crop or conditions I prefer the two and three part liquids for exactlythis reason - you can blend them in different concentrations and combinations to target the specific growth require-ments of your crops at each stage of growth A very powerful technique in optimizing the growth of your garden.The picture below is of the Above & Beyond line of liquid nutrients from FutureGarden

two-It has come to my attention over the years that there are many interested in making their own nutrients so I haveprovided a few recipes If you are reading the Acrobat version, you will find a nutrient calculator spreadsheetincluded with your download Otherwise, consult the table on

the next page which details the salts required to make three

hydroponic nutrient solutions for use with vegetative, fruiting

and flowering crops

The weights shown are all based upon making 1 gallon of

nutrient To make more than a gallon, multiply the gram

weights by the total gallons of nutrient solution required, ie: 20,

40 etc These formulas have been tested with a wide variety

of plants all in the same system and have performed quite well,

however, results will depend upon the quality of raw materials

and precision with which you prepare these solutions

Hydroponic nutrient recipes

N - P - K

To make 1.00 gallon(s) of VEGETATIVE NUTRIENT 9.5 - 5.67 - 11.3

Use 6.00 grams of Calcium NitrateCa(NO3)2

2.09 grams of Potassium Nitrate KNO3

0.46 grams of Sulfate of Potash K2SO4

1.39 grams of Monopotassium Phosphate KH2PO4

2.42 grams of Magnesium Sulfate MgSO4 * 7H2O

0.40 grams of 7% Fe Chelated Trace Elements See Trace Box

To make 1.00 gallon(s) of FRUITING NUTRIENT 8.2 - 5.9 - 13.6

Use 8.00 grams of Calcium NitrateCa(NO3)2

2.80 grams of Potassium Nitrate KNO3

1.70 grams of Sulfate of Potash K2SO4

1.39 grams of Monopotassium Phosphate KH2PO4

2.40 grams of Magnesium Sulfate MgSO4 * 7H2O

0.40 grams of 7% Fe Chelated Trace Elements See Trace Box

To make 1.00 gallon(s) of FLOWERING NUTRIENT 5.5 - 7.97 - 18.4

Use 4.10 grams of Calcium NitrateCa(NO3)2

2.80 grams of Potassium Nitrate KNO3

0.46 grams of Sulfate of Potash K2SO4

1.39 grams of Monopotassium Phosphate KH2PO4

2.40 grams of Magnesium Sulfate MgSO4 * 7H2O

0.40 grams of 7% Fe Chelated Trace Elements See Trace Box

Chelated Trace Element Mix

Please follow these directions carefully:

Fill your empty reservoir 75% full with clean, hot water Multiply the above gram weigths of each specific salt

by however many gallons your reservoir holds as these ratios are based upon making only one gallon of nutrientsolution Dissolve each salt, one at a time - make sure each salt dissolves entirely before adding the next

WARNING:

These elemental salts are extremely reactive in their native states - use eye protection when handlingthem and avoid contact with skin Follow the directions given to you by the supplier Avoid usinginaccurate “kitchen” type scales - your crop is worth it

Measuring nutrient concentration and pH

In order to measure the amount of nutrients in solution, a measurement of PPM or TDS

(Parts Per Million and Total Dissolved Solids) is performed This measurement is also

commonly referred to as the EC or ‘Electrical Conductivity’ of a solution as that is actually

what you are measuring There are a number of methods of measuring PPM, my favorite is

the digital PPM gauge which is simply submerged in the nutrient solution for a reading to be

taken Digital PPM meters are calibrated with a solution that has a PPM of 1000 - you do

need to calibrate them every so often but nothing beats the convenience Frequent changes

of your nutrient solution will generally keep the concentrations where they need to be My

best advice is to follow the directions that come with the nutrient you plan to use In any

case, plan to replace nutrient solution on a bi-weekly basis for best results

All the nutrients in the world will do a plant no good if it cannot absorbthem easily A major factor in determining a plants ability to uptakenutrients is the relative acidity, or pH (potential Hydrogen) of the soil

or solution from which they feed pH is measured on a scale of 1-14and represents the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution Generally, it is used to deter-mine whether a solution is acidic or basic A 1 on the scale represents a low ion concentra-tion (an acid), pure water is considered neutral at a pH of 7 A 14 on the scale represents thehighest concentration of ions (basic, alkaline) Some nutrients may become unavailable tothe plant if the solution pH drifts from an optimal reading, which for most plants is between5.5 and 6.5 This condition is called “nutrient lockout” pH can be tested with litmus paperand adjusted with an inexpensive pH control kit as shown below Follow directions onproduct packaging

Replacing your nutrient solution every 2 weeks is the best insurance against crop damage as frequent changes willprovide your crop with all the nutrients it needs Under ideal conditions, pH and PPM will drift only slightly asthe nutrient solution is used by the crop Another great way to keep your nutrients in the “green” is by using alarger reservoir - the extra capacity helps act as a buffer and maintains pH and concentration better than a “justenough to do the job” approach to reservoir capacity Nutritional requirements vary throughout a plant's life cycle;light intensity, stage of growth (vegetative or flowering) and the general size of plant all play a role in determiningits nutritional requirements By regularly monitoring pH and PPM, you will have the ability to make corrections toyour nutrient solution before your crop suffers There are certain signs to look for when testing the PPM and pH

of your nutrient solution The opposite page outlines them for you An unusually high pH will decrease theavailability of Iron, Manganese, Boron, Copper, Zinc and Phosphorous A

pH that is too low will reduce availability of Potassium, Sulphur, Calcium,

Magnesium and Phosphorous The pH of common solutions are as follows;

Since pH and PPM generally share an inversely

propor-tional relationship, by measuring pH, you can

some-times infer what is happening to the concentration of

your nutrient solution The charts below are over

exaggerated for illustration of these principles

Proper Balance:

In this example a perfect balance exists between plant

requirements, solution pH and nutrient concentration

This is exemplified by steady readings in both PPM and

pH over time Naturally the volume of nutrient solution

decreases over time, however, that is not indicated

here Your goal is to deliver exactly what the plant

requires - no more - no less - temperature and light

intensity play a major role in determining this balance

Insufficient Nutrient:

The crop is consuming more nutrient than water, note

the PPM decrease Since most nutrient solutions have a

pH buffer which tends to pull down the pH, the

de-crease in concentration results in the rise of pH

NOTE:

Many times what you may observe to be a nutrient

deficiency i.e.: yellowing older leaves, red petioles and

stems, may actually be caused by an excess of nutrient

or unhappy pH - be sure to use that pH and PPM test

kit and meter!

Excessive Nutrient:

Here the plants leave excess nutrient behind This

imbalance causes PPM to increase, effectively

decreas-ing pH, causdecreas-ing nutrient lockout Possible causes are

high heat/intense light which will increase the plant’s

transpiration of water as the plants “sweat”

Diagnosis of these problems is important Once you

get into a routine with a particular crop and growing

environment, you will develop a knack for what should

and should not be, making this seemingly complex

process simple Keep a log and LEARN!

It’s all about the roots!

Root systems vary in size from those of a seedling, perhaps a few

inches long, to those of a 300’ redwood (pictured at right holding

up the author) which can grow larger in size than the visible tree

itself! Regardless of physical size, roots serve the plant three

essential functions; the uptake of water and nutrients, storage for

manufactured materials and providing physical support for the

plant above ground Hydroponics is all about the roots - healthy

roots!

The absorption of water and nutrients take place just behind the

root tip through tiny root hairs These root hairs are extremely

delicate and usually die off as the root tip grows further into the

medium The method in which the roots absorb water and

nutrients is called diffusion In this process water and oxygen pass into the root structure through membranes inthe cell walls An interesting point is that diffusion actually takes place at the ionic level which in laymen’sterms means that nutritional elements are passed by the electrical exchange of charged particles This is always

my first line of defense against those who claim that hydroponics is unnatural and isn’t “organic” because plantsgrown that way aren’t fed “organic” nutrients Foolish to say the least - the bottom line is that roots can ONLYuptake PURE ELEMENTS and a hydroponic system is a much

cleaner environment than their compost pile

Oxygen is absorbed and then utilized for growth, in return the

roots give off carbon dioxide Absence of oxygen in the root

zone causes asphyxiation, damaging the roots and adversely

affecting the tops of the plant as well Stagnation of water in the

root zone can also cause asphyxiation in addition to root rot

Once a plants roots die, or become dehydrated, death of the

organism is usually imminent Many studies have proven that

oxygenation to the root zone is a major factor in determining a

plant’s growth potential - so much so that the practice of

“Aeroponics” has developed to maximize growth one step

beyond that conventionally believed to be possible with

hydro-ponics Plants grown aeroponically have their roots suspended

in thin air!

Plants can function normally with their roots exposed to light

provided they are always at 100% relative humidity However,

exposure to light will promote the growth of green algae Algae

appears as a green or brown slime on roots, plumbing, and

containers Some studies have suggested that plants suffer when

their roots are exposed to light, this is probably due to the

resulting algae growth on the surface of the root Algae will

compete for both water and nutrients, as well as oxygen To be on the safe

side, I recommend using opaque containers and avoid using transparent

materi-als for tubing and reservoirs - dark green, blue and black work best at blocking

stray light Plant roots are extremely delicate and should not be handled You

will, at some point, need to transplant seedlings or cuttings to your hydroponic

garden - just be gentle and keep roots wet In the event that roots begin to

obstruct proper flow and drainage in your system, you may have no choice but

to adjust their position which may cause damage if you’re not careful For

optimal nutrient uptake the nutrient solution should be a perfect environment for

the developing roots Three simple indications will reveal if the roots are

healthy or not:

1 Visual indications

Healthy roots appear full and white in color As plants mature, a slight

yellow-ing is normal to a degree

2 pH measurement

If the pH is off - your roots will not be happy A pH of between 5.5 and 6.5 is

generally the ideal range for most plants Remember that 7.0 is neutral

Measuring pH is easy utilizing inexpensive test kits There are currently two kinds, the first consists of pretreatedpaper strips (litmus paper) that react to different pH levels by turning color Simply dip a test strip into the solutionand compare the resulting color change on the strip to a corresponding value on the included chart The secondmethod utilizes a small tube which is filled with solution to which a few drops of indicator chemical are added.The results of this test are indicated the same as the paper strip test, with a corresponding color change I preferthe later as it is more accurate Digital pH meters are great to have as they provide instant readings but they must

be handled carefully Since extremely acidic or alkaline solutions are not only bad for your roots but also highlycorrosive, care must be taken to avoid these situations Check pH regularly when first starting out so as to famil-iarize yourself with the process, your crop and the system It is important that any water used for refills or newbatches of nutrient be pH balanced to +/- 6.0 (depending on crop) before mixing with your concentrated nutrientpowders or liquids

Soilfree hydroponic mediums

In most hydroponic gardens, soilfree mediums are used primarily for starting seeds and when rooting cuttings.The less medium a system requires, the easier and less expensive it is to operate This is a major consideration forthose who wish to make a profit from their hydroponic gardens Modern day soilfree mediums have come a longway since the use of river gravel and sand A perfect medium is one that is able to hold a nearly equal concentra-tion of air and water As you have leaned, your plants need both oxygen and nutrients to reach their roots Thedetermining factor in water/air holding capacity of a medium are the small spaces between each granule or fiber.The name for these “holes” in the medium is “interstitial spaces” Fine sand features very small interstitial spaceswhich cannot hold much air and water On the other hand, coarse gravel has large interstitial spaces which canhold lots of both The next factor we must concern ourselves with is that water has weight and always seeks thelowest ground In the case of coarse gravel, this means that water will run right through leaving behind only amoist trace If you constantly recirculate your nutrient solution, this medium would be o.k., however, because ofthis fact coarse gravel really doesn’t make a good medium for systems that do not constantly circulate nutrientsolution to the plants

UltraPeattm a.k.a Coco Peat/ Coco Coir:

Our favorite loose growing medium is Coconut Fiber or Cocopeat

It represents a major step forward in organic soilfree potting

medi-ums It has the water retention of vermiculite and the air retention of

perlite, however, it is a completely organic medium made from

ground up coconut husks! Why coconut husks? The coconut husk

serves its seed two purposes; 1 Protection from the sun and salt

while floating around the oceans and 2 A hormone rich, fungus

free medium to solicit germination and rooting upon landfall

Ground up and sterilized, cocopeat offers plants the perfect rooting

medium and protection against root diseases and fungus infestation

Cocopeat is a completely renewable resource, unlike peat moss

which is rapidly becoming depleted from overuse

Perlite

Perlite has been around for the longest time of all these soilfree

mediums Made from air-puffed glass pellets, and literally as light

as air, Perlite has excellent oxygen retention which is the main

reason it is used as a supplement in soil and soilfree mixes The

main drawback of Perlite is that becuse it is so lightweight, it is

easily washed away and makes a lousy medium in flood and flush

type systems

Grorox /Hydroton - Expanded Clay Pellets:

A relatively new development in coarse mediums is Geolite/

Grorox/Hydroton, which is made of expanded clay pellets that

maintain water by virtue of their porosity and surface area These

mediums are are pH neutral and reusable, making them ideal for

hydroponic systems Do not use Lava rocks as they alter the pH

Perfect Starts soil free starting sponges.

The latest breakthrough in hydroponic mediums are these “molded” starter

sponges made from organic compost and a flexible, biodegradable binder

Available in many shapes and sizes, they solve the problem growers face when

wanting to use an organic medium in a hydroponic system Namely, they do not

fall apart as does rockwool and vermiculite when used to start seeds The

start-ing sponges exhibit perfect air to water holdstart-ing capacity and when used in

conjunction with their high density foam startingtrays, force roots to grow

di-rectly downwards instead of spiraling around as do many other types of starting

trays

GroDan RockwoolRockwool is made from molten rock which isspun into long, glass-like fibers These fibersare available compressed into bricks and cubes

or as loose material called flock Rockwool has a good water to air capacity and

is widely used as a starting medium for seeds and a rooting medium for cuttings.Some of the world’s largest hydroponic greenhouses use rockwool slabs to raiseall sorts of fully mature plants

The mixed green seedlings at right were planted

in cocopeat in easy to handle flats When theseseedlings harden off, they will be transplated totheir new homes in soilfree gardens Thetransplantation process for seedlings raised incocopeat is as simple as shaking or rinsing theloose cocopeat from the plant and insertingthem into whatever will support them in theirnew home

This hydroponic system is trulysoilfree The Aeroflo series by General Hydroponics can acceptseedlings or starts grown in any of the mediums featured in thischapter You’ll learn how to make these systems yourself in theback of this book

Let there be light

In nature, plants depend upon the energy of the sun Through a process called photosynthesis, sunlight is verted to sugars to provide fuel for growth These sugars are utilized as necessary in a process called respiration,excess sugar can then be stored for later use Photosynthesis is made possible by chlorophyll which is containedwithin the leaf cells It is this chlorophyll which gives vegetation its characteristic green color Light is trapped bythe chlorophyll, activating the process of photosynthesis Inside the chlorophyll, light energy is combined withcarbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen and sugar The sugar is then oxidized (or metabolized) through theprocess of respiration, producing carbon dioxide, water, and energy for growth Excess oxygen and water aretranspired by the leaf into the air Plant growth, therefore, is directly affected by the amount and quality of light itreceives

con-The quality of light refers to the intensity and spectrum of colors contained within the light, as different colors oflight affect the plant in different ways as described above Different plants require varied lengths of daylighthours, this duration of daylight is called the photoperiod Photoperiod affects flowering (reproduction), and inmany cases must be precise to induce the flowering of certain species In addition, different plant types requiredifferent light intensities, be sure to research the natural environments of the plants you intend to grow in order toreproduce their favored climes as closely as possible

2000 3000

4000 5000

AL HALIDE4000 K

STANDARD INCANDESCENT

Indoor lighting for horticulture

Nothing beats the Sun when it comes to growing, however, new types of

High Intensity Discharge lighting have made growing indoors a viable

alternative Many of you are familiar with fluorescent “grow” lights

designed to grow plants indoors These products are fine for low-light

plants where limited results are expected But what if you want to

achieve the ultimate growth potential of your favorite plants indoors or

supplement sunlight in your greenhouse? Your answer is to use

Horti-cultural High Intensity Discharge lighting, or HID for short These

lighting systems consist of a lamp, reflector and power supply and are

designed to provide the maximum output of photosynthetic light for the

amount of power consumed HID lighting systems can illuminate your

garden with the right quality and quantity of light to make for

impres-sive results

Horticultural HID lighting is used by the world’s premier growers to

provide many benefits simply unattainable with conventional

fluores-cent and incandesfluores-cent lamps HID lighting allows commercial growers

to increase crop yields, bring crops to market on schedule and produce

crops when out of season, making them even more valuable to the

consumer market HID lighting is so efficient and powerful that many

indoor growers turn a healthy profits even after the initial investment

and the monthly electric bills have been paid Until recently, HID

lighting for horticulture has been prohibitively expensive for everyday gardeners due to a limited market and thecosts of production But thanks to the ingenious lighting products by new manufacturers such as SunlightSupply and Diamond Lights, lighting costs have been reduced to the point where everyone can enjoy theirbenefits

In choosing an HID lighting system, blue and red are the two primary colors of light you need to be concernedwith for HID lighting Blue light is most pronounced during the summer months when the sun is highest in thesky It is responsible for keeping plant growth compact and shapely Red light, such as when the sun is lower inthe sky during the fall harvest months, is responsible for triggering reproduction in plants in the form of flowersand fruits Metal Halide (MH) lamps emit primarily blue light making them ideal for the vegetative growthstage High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps emit primarily red light which causes exaggerated flowering andfruiting during the plant reproductive stage Thus, if you plan to grow mostly leafy crops such as lettuce andvegetative herbs, your best bet is an MH lighting system If you want to grow flowering plants, the Son AgroHPS lamp is your best bet since it adds about 30% more to the blue spectrum than does a standard HPS bulb

As a matter of fact, there are conversion bulbs which allow you to buy one type of system and use both types oflamps These bulbs cost more but give you the added benefit of being able to start your plants with the MHbulb, ensuring tight, compact growth, and then switching over to the HPS lamp when the plants are ready toflower and fruit for higher yield Remember, lights emit heat which needs to be vented to keep indoor gardenswithin 65-80 degrees and 50-75% humidity

400W metal halide lamp above made this indoor garden grow like wild!

The primary benefit to employing a High Intensity Discharge (HID) horticultural lighting system is the control

it gives you over your plants’ growing environment In many areas, once fall arrives the growing season is over,and if you’re a hard-core gardener like me, you’ll miss it dearly! Horticultural lighting systems allow us all toextend the growing season by providing our favorite plants with an indoor most closely equivalent to sunlight.This is a great advantage for those of us who appreciate having a year-round supply of fresh flowers, veggiesand herbs! HID lighting is also great way to jump-start spring by starting your seedlings months ahead of lastfrost Another great advantage of indoor horticultural lighting is your ability to control the length of daylightthus empowering you with the ability to force flower your favorite strain even when completely out of season.Vegetative growth photoperiods are 16 to 18 hours/day, more then 18 hrs is minimally advantageous and notworth the cost in electricity Flowering photoperiods are usually between 10 and 14 hours per day Remember,

to grow perfect plants, the secret to the right light is Color, Intensity and Duration!

Color (Photosynthetic spectrum)

Photosynthesis is most pronounced in the red (600-680nm) and blue (380-480nm) wavelengths of light Horticulturallighting, also know as High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting is designed to cover these specific wavelengths.There are two types of HID lamps which emit different color spectrums Metal Halide lamps emit a white/bluespectrum MH lamps are best used as a primary light source (if no or little natural sunlight is available) This type oflamp promotes compact vegetative growth There are also MH to HPS conversion bulbs available which allow you

to provide MH light during vegetative growth and then switch over to the HPS for fruiting/flowering stages ofgrowth High pressure sodium lamps emit a yellow/orange spectrum They are the best lamps available for second-ary or supplementary lighting (used in conjunction with natural sunlight) This type of light promotes flowering/budding in plants HPS lamps are ideal for greenhouses and commercial growing applications The Son Agro HPSlamps add an additional 30% blue factor to their spectrum, making them a better choice than straight HPS lamps forsolo use There are also HPS to MH conversion bulbs available which allow you to provide MH light during vegeta-tive growth and then switch over to the HPS for fruiting/flowering stages of growth

Intensity

Light intensity is commonly measured in power (watts) per square foot For optimal photosynthesis to occur ageneral rule of thumb is 20-40 watts per square foot, with 20 being best for low-light plants and 40 best for lightloving plants Keep 400W HID lamps a minimum of 16” from plants and 1000W lamps 24” from plants Toincrease light effectiveness, paint room with flat white paint You may also want to use reflective mylar sheetingwhich is 90-95% reflective whereby flat white 75-80% reflective - Gloss white 70-75% reflectivity

Yellow paint 65-70% reflectivity - Aluminum foil 60-65% reflectivity - Black <10% reflective

Duration (Photoperiod):

Most plants grow best when exposed to 16-18 hrs of light per day Additional hours of light during the day havenot been found to increase growth by any significant amount Plants that exhibit photoperiodism, the trait thatcauses daylength to trigger flowering, should be exposed to 12-14 hours of light once flowering is desired Totaldarkness is required during the darkness cycle for flowers and fruit to form correctly Select a timer to controlthe duration of HID light Some popular plants that are frequently grown indoors and exhibit “photoperiodismare Chrysanthemums, Poinsettias, Bromeliads, Pansies, Gibsofilia, Fuschi, Petunia, Gladiolia and Roses Theseplants will flower when their photoperiod is 12hrs of light and 12hrs of darkness Using indoor lights and atimer, you can force flower them during market peaks to increase yields and provide on-time delivery to market

Environmental control and automation

When gardening indoors or in a greenhouse, you will certainly want to take advantage of the

benefits a controlled environment can deliver By maintaining your crops favorite growing

conditions, you will realize larger harvests, faster growth and ultimately, better quality produce

whether it be tomatoes, flowers or herbs and spices Assuming that you have either natural

sunlight in a greenhouse or HID light available indoors, the remaining considerations are

temperature, humidity and air quality In order to control temperature in a greenhouse, you

will need to install circulation fans which will vent hot air outside the greenhouse while

drawing in cooler air from close to the ground This exchange of air is usually controlled with

a thermostat connected directly to a vent fan Indoors, you would perform the same function

in a similar manner Some indoor gardeners prefer to leave a vent fan running continously as the

heat build-up under HID lights can happen very rapidly and usually warrants continuous

venti-lation A temperature of 65-75 degrees F is usually accepted as best for most popular crops Too high a ture willl force your plants to transpire a disproportionate amount of water to nutrient, resulting in rising nutrientconcentrations and possible problems with pH and nutrient lock-out Too low a temperature will slow growthsignificantly as many plants will become dormant There are many commercially available temperature controllers

tempera-on the market such as the NFT and ART series shown at top right This adjustable cycle timer allows the user topreset a particular length of time for the switch to provide power and then a particular length of time for the switch

to turn off The “cycle” can be adjusted to operate ventilation fans, CO2 generators and pumps

HumidityThe next factor you will want to control in your greenhouse orindoor garden If the humidity is too high, your crop will sufferfrom rot and mold problems, as well as a tendency to “overheat”due to its inability to transpire moisture into the already satu-rated atmosphere Humidistats control humidity in much thesame manner as a thermostat controls temperature A humidistatcan be set to operate a ventilation fan once a particular level ofmoisture in the air is breached Rarely when growing hydro-ponically in an enclosed area will you run into problems of toolittle humidity, however, if this is the case, you will either need tolower the temperature or the intensity of light so as not to dehy-drate your crops A level of 60-70% humidity is generally ac-cepted as best for most crops Too dry an atmosphere will cause excessive water transpiration and leave a highconcentration of nutrients in your reservoir - very similar to what too high an ambient temperature or too strong alight intensity would cause There are also a number of Thermostat/Humidistats on the market which combineboth functions into the control of a single ventilation fan The fan is programmed to operate when either the presettemperature or humidity levels are exceeded

Unless you plan to keep a constant watch over your garden’s temperature and humidity, it is a good idea toinvest in automating these environmental controls to do the watching over for you Some people have even gone

to such lengths as to connect temperature and humidity sensors to their computers and integrate environmentalcontrols through software programs and custom charting applications This is pretty high-tech stuff but I’m sureNASA is all over it, as every last ounce counts when you’re on your way to Mars

Supercharging your garden with CO2

As your plants “breathe” CO2 and “exhale” O2, the balance of

these two critical gases begins to shift In nature, this uneven

exchange fits in perfectly as animals “breath” in O2 and “exhale”

CO2 Of course a perfect world it is not and modern industry and

the burning of fossil fuels has somewhat “unbalanced” this effect

However, in your greenhouse or growroom, you will need to help

your plants breathe by supplying a constant exchange of fresh air

which by nature contains about 2% CO2 If you have already

employed a thermostat and humidistat in combination with a vent

fan, there is a good possibility that these two mechanisms will

provide a good exchange of fresh air However, if your fan is not

operating frequently enough, you may be starving your plants of

their most favorite flavors of gas, CO2

Generally speaking, it is best to exchange the entire contents of

your growing area about once an hour during daylight hours To

do this efficiently, you can use a fan which either runs

continu-ously at a slow speed, or a fan that runs at high speed in short

bursts To determine the size of the fan that is necessary, simply

multiply the length of your growing area by its height and then by

its width This number (use feet as a measurement unit) will be

the Cubic Feet of your area When buying a fan, you will notice

that they are sold according to “Cubic Feet per Minute” or CFM

ratings What this means is that the particular fan will move the

particular amount of air in one minute So - if your greenhouse is 10ft x 10ft x 8ft That’s 800 CuFt - youwould need an 800CFM fan to exchange the air in the entire greenhouse in one minute That’s a big fan and youcertainly don’t need to move it all out in just a minute’s time I would suggest using a 100 CFM fan and run-ning it for 4 minutes every half hour You can do this easily with a programmable cycle timer like the one wediscussed on the previous page

CO2 and you

CO2 is known as the “greenhouse gas” which traps the sun’s heat in Earth’s atmosphere It is responsible forglobal warming and a host of environmental changes that include altered weather patterns and rising tides CO2causes these problems by insulating the Earth from heat loss and reflecting some of the suns heating rays backonto the earth Many of you already know that plants require CO2 to manufacture food within their leaves Many

of you have also heard that adding CO2 to the growing environement can significantly increase the growth rates ofmost plants This is 100% true However, managing CO2 is tricky because of the factors preceeding this topic.For example, if you are constantly exhuasting the air from your greenhouse or growroom, how would you supply

a never ending supply of CO2??? - You could perhaps add a CO2 cylinder with a regulator as shown below Theregulator can be set to slowly “leak” CO2 into the air flow of a reciprocating fan in order to evenly distribute itacross the growing environment You could hook the regulator up to an electrical valve called a “solenoid” which

is then controlled by either a timer - to go on when the exhaust fans are off, or to release every X minutes for Xminutes (another use for the cycle timer) You could hook the solenoid valve up to a CO2 measurement and

delivery system that would deliver CO2 once the levels dropped

below those you set as minimum There are many crafty ways to

add CO2 to your garden, the trick is to make it cost effective and

safe CO2 is not a gas you want to be inhaling in high

concentra-tions Your garden will only benefit from so much before you

wind up choking it up with too much For these reasons I suggest

using either a metering system or a mathematical formula to

detemine exactly how much to add and at what intervals

CO2 is measured much the same way as nutrient in solution

-PPM (Parts Per Million) Most gardens and crops will benenfit

significantly when the concentration of available CO2 is kept

between 1000 and 1600 PPM You will need a CO2 test kit or

meter to accurately monitor this value, however, you can use the

charts that come with CO2 injection systems to determine exactly how to achieve these levels using their ment Without using an integrated measurement/injection system, you will basically need to determine the size ofyour room in cubic feet, using this volume, the manufacturer will specify something along the lines of “set theregulator to “X” PSI and open the valve for “X” minutes every “X” minutes between exhaust cycles Since every

equip-CO2 system is inherently different, you will have to rely on the manufacturers recommendations to insure accuracyand proper delivery of this growth boosting gas to your growing area CO2 can also be generated by using

propane and natural gas burners as these gases when burned result in the dsischarge of CO2 and water vapor Ofcourse keeping an open flame in any unsupervised area is dangerous so these CO2 generation systems are de-signed for safety and must be operated with extreme caution The advantages to using a natural gas CO2 genera-tor are that they are generally cheaper to operate and can double as heaters for colder area applications Indoors,the heat generated by these units is usually a problem that neutralizes their effectiveness since to exhaust theaditional heat you will also wind up exhausting the additional CO2 If you are a beginner I strongly advise leaving

CO2 for once you gain experience and have your garden completely under control There are a number of lent books on CO2 - pick one up!

excel-One of my readers wrote in explaining a simple way to create and distribute CO2 indoors using just a few pensive parts

inex-You’ll need a 1 gallon milk jug, a pound of sugar, enough water to dissolve all the sugar, a packet of yeast, andsome tubing Begin by drilling a small tight hole in the cap of your 1 gallon jug, pass a length of 1/4” air tubingthrough it just enough so that it hangs inside the bottle The other end should be placed near your plants, prefer-ably behind a fan that will evenly distribute the CO2 throughout your garden

Fill your container with 1 lb of sugar, add warm water and stir until completely dissolved Add 1 packet of yeast,replace cap and stir CO2 will be released gradually as the Yeast begins to digest the sugar

Getting started with seeds

Most plants primary means for reproduction is the seed The seed is formed inside the female flower after tion by the male plant All seeds begin as an egg within the carpel of a female flower After male pollen is intro-duced to the female flower by wind or insect, the egg becomes an embryo and forms a hard coating around itself.When development finally stops, the seed is released and carried by wind, rain, bird or bug to its final resting placeand if all conditions are right, it will become a new plant and repeat the process If you plan to grow indoors, youwill need to “play bee” and manually pollinate your flowers for them to bear fruit or seed With peppers andtomatoes I simply “tickle” the open flowers with a soft artists brush to spread the pollen

pollina-To start your seeds and/or cuttings, we recommend using a 10” x 10”

or 10” x 20” flat with insert trays to seperate each plant Keep the

humidity high by using a 6” Clear Dome Cover - (not shown) A little

ingenuity, some tupperware and clear plastic wrap will work too

You’ll also need to select a starting medium and a growing medium

The starting medium is what you will plant your seeds or cuttings in

until they grow large enough to transplant into the system The

grow-ing medium is what you will transplant them into The systems in this

book all use GroRox as a growing medium and only the hydroponic planter design uses a significant quantity Wehave had excellent results with both 1” rockwool cubes and loose cocofiber as a starting medium, vermiculite andpearlite work very well too Just recently, a new starting medium was introduced that is being called soil freesponges (I’m sure a neato trade name will be soon to follow!) - we’ve been testing them here for

FutureGarden.com and have found them to be a real winner The sponges are made from organic compost that ismolded into small squares and cone shapes using a biodegradable

binder The advantage to using these sponges are that they allow the

hydroponic grower to utilize an organic medium for starting seeds and

rooting cuttings without the risk of it breaking apart and falling into the

reservoir like cocopeat and perlite will do See the chapeter on

hydro-ponic mediums for more info Avoid using soil as it is not sterile and

may contain diseases and/or pests that will infect your system Water

your medium with a 1/2 strength nutrient solution (see instructions that

come with your choice of nutrient) and keep it moist but not soaked

while your seeds or cuttings root If you are using cocopeat, it comes in

dehydrated bricks that will have to be soaked for a while in the 1/2 strength nutrient solution for them to re-hydrateand loosen up One brick usually makes about two gallons of loose cocopeat, so you may not want to use theentire brick at once Through my experience, I have developed a simple and very successful method of germina-tion First, mix up a batch of 1/2 strength nutrient solution with a pH of 6.5 and

soak the rockwool cubes, or water your loose medium until thoroughly

moistened This provides the seedling with a little extra food for once it germinates

-until it is transplanted into your system

Next, lay the seeded cubes into a 10"x20" flat with a clear dome cover A 20

watt overhead fluorescent bulb will provide sufficient light - be sure to maintain

68-78 degrees After germination, wait about a week or two until roots appear

at the bottom of the cubes or loose medium and the first set of true leaves are

open before transplanting to the baskets which will fit into your system

Making clones of your favorite plant

A second method of starting and restocking your garden is cloning In this

proce-dure, a small growing tip is taken from a mature healthy plant and made to grow

its own roots This method is independent of the plants reproductive system and

thus eliminates the possibility that future generations will continue to evolve, as

cloning results in plants which are exactly alike in all aspects Cloning is very

popular with indoor growers - and sheep :>) - that wish to preserve the

character-istics of a particularly favorite strain In order for cuttings to root properly, the

following must be observed:

1 Root zone temperature 72-76 degrees

2 Air temperature 70-78 degrees and 90-100% humidity

3 Indirect, low intensity light (20 watt florescent)

4 Root feeding with dilute solution Rooting hormone may be used as it will

help your cuttings significantly

5 Foliar feeding with dilute 20% strength nutrient spray

Procedure:

1 Select a healthy growing tip from a plant you wish to clone The tip should be

approximately 3-6" long and include no more than three sets of leaves including

the tip Using a sterile razor, sever the tip and immediately place into a room

temperature bath of dilute nutrient solution or prepared cloning solution such as

Olivia’s Saturate a rockwool cube, some cocofiber/vermiculite or one of the new

soil free sponges with the cloning solution or 1/2 strength nutrient if you are using a

cloning gel or powder (powder shown at right)

2 Make a fresh cut at a 45 degree angle just above the last cut (end) - keeping the

cutting immersed in solution This will assure that no air bubbles form in the stem

which would impede the uptake of nutrient solution Insert the cut end into the

cloning gel or powder and quickly but gently insert the cutting about 1/2 to 3/4"

into the moistened medium The cutting is now ready to be enclosed in a flat with

humidity dome under a soft light source See bottom of previous page

3 Maintain a bottom temperature of 72-76 degrees Fahrenheit, humidity of

95-100% and soft lighting (20 watt fluorescent) until roots develop in 7-14 days

When your seedlings or cuttings are ready to be transplanted, you will need to use a large diameter (8-16mm)gravel-like medium to support them in their respective growing cups We recommend using the expanded claypellets (GroRox) as they are reusable and do not alter the pH of your nutrient solution You can substitute cleangravel or lava rock for this purpose

Stocking your hydroponic garden

Once your seedlings or clones have established a root system

and hardened off, they can be transplanted into your system If

you used rockwool as a starting medium, this process involves

nothing more than placing them into your system and turning it

on If you used a loose starting medium like perlite or cocopeat,

you will need to gently remove the medium from the young roots

by either rinsing or soaking them in a pail of warm water OR use

a porous open-weave mesh to keep the cocopeat from falling

into your system and clogging it I have experimented with

aquarium filter cloth - just a very fine layer between the cocopeat

plug and the mesh baskets seems to work best To transplant

into the hydroponic planter described later in this book, dig out a

small hole in the GroRox, place then into the system and gently backfill around the roots To place your plantsinto grow cups for any of the other systems in this book, you would follow the same procedure except you would

be backfilling around the roots as they sit inside the cups Try to get the roots as close to the bottom of the baskets

as possible See photo

When you first place the plants into your system, give them aweek of lower than normal lighting so that they can recover fromthe move and re-establish their vigorous growth Keep a watch-ful eye on your new plants - sometimes they may look a littlewilted - this is normal transplant shock which can be avoided bylowering the light and maintaining the roots in your startingmedium by employing the fabric method as described above It isalso a good idea to water your plants from above with the nutrientsolution for a few days This will ensure that their roots are keptmoist while they are adjusting to their new home The picture atleft shows some salad greens

and basil seedlings after theywere transplanted to grow cups

in preparation for placement in my pvc system I usually keep them in the cups

for about three days under soft fluorescent light and top water them before

placing them into the system and under HID lights If you are growing indoors

under an HID light or if you are growing outdoors in the good ‘ole sunshine, it is

a good idea to condition your seedlings/rooted cuttings by placing them near a

sunny window but out of direct light or by lifting your grow lamp to about twice

its normal distance from the plants - two to four days with reduced light and they

should be fine to gradually start increasing their exposure Once their roots find

your nutrient solution, watch out! They will grow like crazy!

(Basil seedling started in a Perfect Startstm plug)

Stages of growth

A plant’s life cycle begins with germination, recognized by the above-ground appearance

of a growing shoot Mated to this shoot are two small, round leaves known as cotyledons

(A) Once these leaves begin manufacturing food, the plant begins to grow and enters the

seedling stage During this time the plant develops it first set of true leaves, resembling

those of a mature plant The primary formation of a root system begins The root

devel-opment that takes place at this time is key to the rate at which the plant will continue to

grow Providing the proper environment for the roots will ensure that your crop will have

a chance to flourish

Basil sprouts two days after germination.

Once the root system can support further growth, the vegetative stage begins Nutritional

requirements at this time call for large amounts of nitrogen, required for the production

of chlorophyll, as growth during this period is primarily stem, branch and leaf The most substantial growthover the lifecycle of the plant occurs in the vegetative stage and will continue unless interrupted by a change inenvironment or lack of water/nutrients

The final stage of the organisms lifecycle is the reproductive stage Because theobjective is now to reproduce, and thus carry on evolution, energies are di-rected to the manufacture of flowers, seeds, and fruit The primary nutritionalrequirements begin to shift at this time from a high-N diet to a low N, high P-Kdiet This is due to a considerable slow down in vegetative growth while

reproduction takes place This change prompts a switch in nutrient solutionsfrom a vegetative formula to a flowering, or 'bloom' formula Many hydro-ponic nutrients now come as a two part system for exactly this reason In someplants, reproduction is triggered by a change in the length of daylight, thischaracteristic is called photoperiodism It is this characteristic which governswhen these plants may be sown and harvested if growing outdoors Indoors,

be sure to provide the proper photoperiod for your crop or they may never fullydevelop Changing the length of artificial daylight can trick the plant intoflowering early Commercial growers use this trick to deliver flowers tomarkets out of season and at a premium to vendors and customers alike

If you are growing indoors, for lack of natural insects, you must play “bee” by pollinating the flowers on yourplants manually For tomatoes and peppers a delicate touch with a brush on each flower will help the plantpollinate itself to produce fruit There are commercially available plant “shakers” that vibrate the floweringplants every so often to accomplish the same I have found that the breeze from a strong circulating fan isusually sufficient to cause pollination indoors

A

Growers guide to popular plants

The following table outlines the favorite conditions for these plants to thrive in your hydroponic garden Adhereclosely to these parameters and you will be happily surprised by the results Always use a high quality hydro-ponic nutrient and maintain a healthy growing area by allowing plenty of light, air and moisture to reach yourplants Seed packets will contain more information on the particular strain you wish to grow

African Violet Bright but filtered 250/400/1000W HPS warm 6.0-7.0 840-1050

Endive - Chicory - Radicchio medium light 400/1000W cool 5.5 1100-1680

Orchid - Cattleya bright (2000-3000 Fc) light 400/1000W MH Day 90 - Night 55F 7.0-7.5 300-500 Orchid - Cymbidium bright shady light 400/1000W MH Day 80 - Night 60F 5.5-6.0 300-500 Orchid - Denrobium 1800-2500Fc of light 400/1000W MH Day 90 - Night 55F 7.0-7.5 300-500 Orchid - Oncidium 2000-6000Fc of light 400/1000W MH Day 85 - Night 60F 7.0-7.5 300-500 Orchid - Paphiopedilum bright shady light 400/1000W MH Day 75 - Night 55F 7.0-7.5 300-500 Orchid - Paphiopedilum bright shady light 400/1000W MH Day 75 - Night 65F 7.0-7.5 300-500 Orchid - Phalaenopsis bright shady light 400/1000W MH Day 85 - Night 65F 7.0-7.5 300-500

Peppers - Chillies bright shady light 400/1000W MH warm to hot 5.5-6.0 300-500

Scallion - Green Onions medium to high light 250/400/1000W MH warm to hot 6.0-7.0 980-1260

Swiss Chard medium to high light 400/1000W warm to hot 6.0-7.0 1260-1610

Zucchini - Summer Squash high light 400/1000W warm to hot 6 1260-1680

Problems with your plants?

Just as your garden faces infiltration by bugs, so it does from disease However, the wonderful thing about

soilfree garedening is that there is no soil to harbor disease Instead, you have only to contend with the nutrientsolution To avoid the growth of algae and disease causing organisms that may propagate within your nutrienttank, there are a few precautions you can take to avoid this scenario First off, keep you nutrient temperaturebelow 80 degrees F Better yet would be to keep it from 68-72 degrees F., but in many cases this is difficult due

to extreme ambient temperatures and strong sunlight heating up your reservoir You can insulate your reservoir

by keeping it out oif direct sunlight and covering it with reflective insulation such as Celotex board or backed fiberglass In extreme conditions, burying the lower part of the reservoir, or even the entire reservoir cankeep it perfectly in check as the temperature of the earth remains much cooler and more constant There is alsothe option of burying a coil of polyethylene tubing through which you pass your nutrient solution kind of like achilling coil Experimentation and discussion with growers in your area will yield many solutions Keep yournutrient solution aerated and Oxygen rich by plumbing your system so that there is plenty of spray and/orbubbling water being generated by your pump The nutrient returns should create a good splashing actioninside your reservoir to maintain aeration and avoid nutrient stagnation

foil-Algae is only a problem when your nutrient is exposed to light Be sure to use only opaque

materials and tubing to construct your hydroponic garden It is always a good idea to

com-pletely flush your system between crops with a 10% solution of hot water and bleach Make

sure you rinse it well after doing so The best prevention against all plant problems as caused

by external organisms is to keep your growing area sanitary Remove any dead leaves, dust

and dirt to avoid giving critters a place to grow and food to eat Rarely will bugs attack a

perfectly healthy plant as nature has devised for each its own line of natural defenses

Overwatering seedlings and cuttings will cause damping off - this is basically the growth of a

fungus which attacks the plant tissue and eventually destroys the plant See picture

Biological control of bugs

Yuck - I hate bugs - especially when they infest my indoor garden I never had a problem with Whiteflies until Ibrought a pepper plant from outside into my indoor garden What a mistake that was! I broke every rule of indoorgardening when I did that - I guess sometimes you ignore the warnings cause you assume “it won’t happen to me”

- I even inspected the plant outdoors and found it to be “apparently” free from critters well I think you’ve alreadyguessed the lesson here - KEEP YOUR INDOOR GARDEN

FREE FROM OUTDOOR INVADERS!

Outside, the bugs most likely to infest your plants are controlled

by natural predators Inside, you have no such luck and without

any natural enemies Whiteflies and spider mites can really get

out of control quickly The leaf at right is infested with Whitefly

larvae - which will molt and become annoying little pests inside

of seven days Once the Whitefly larvae molts and gains wings,

it will spread the infestation by laying eggs within just days and

start the process all over again The eggs only lie dormant for

about ten days before hatching

spider mite

To take care of infestations, you need to be aware of the

biologi-cal control options I do not advocate the use of pesticides, even

pyrethrin, which is made from flower extract, since they are

number one toxic and number two - well - let’s just say that pests

actually build up a tolerance to them which only helps to breed

stronger strains of pests Biological control of pests means simply

that we are limiting the negative impact of the pest population by

introducing predator insects It may sound like adding fire to the

fire to introduce another insect to your garden but the predator

insect population is controlled by the amount of food available, in

this case say Whiteflies So as the predator insects eat up the

enemy, their population naturally decreases as the food goes with them A perfect solution if you as me - nature atits finest!

There are a number of non-toxic methods you can employ to help limit pests both indoors and out, the best is touse yellow sticky traps which attract flies and keep them sticking around for a little longer than they’d of liked.You can make these with some yellow paint, cardboard strips and a jar of vaseline Paint the strips, let ‘em dryand then gob on the vaseline which will stick ‘em just as well as glue

Problem pest Predator solution Qty/sq ft.

Nutritional problems:

Nutritional problems can be diagnosed and corrected by using the following chart If you determine there is aproblem with your nutrient, it is best to flush your system and begin with a fresh batch of corrected formulation

Nutrient Deficiency of nutrient results in: Excess nutrient results in

Nitrogen Plants are slow growing, weak and stunted Plants are dark green, soft and succulent

Leaves are yellowing - older leaves first Fruit and seed crops may not produce.

and maturity is reached early with low yield.

Phosphorous Slow growing, stunted and dark green Older Results in Iron and zinc deficiency.

leaves may turn purple and show signs first.

Potassium Older leaf margins appear burned out Results in Magnesium deficiency.

Calcium Tips of shoots and roots die off Results in Mg and/or K deficiency symptoms Magnesium Older leaves turn yellow between viens N/A

Molybdenum Similar to Nitrogen deficiency Hard to spot.

Sulfur Young leaves yellow, stems become woody Premature leaf death.

Iron Yellowing between viens (interveinal chlorosis) N/A

Manganese Stunted growth, interveinal chlorosis of young Older leaves exhibit small brown spots with

leaves yellow rings around them.

Boron Leaves and stems grow brittle and stunt growth Leaves die from tips inward.

Zinc Interveinal chlorosis - young leaves, growth stunted N/A

Copper Stunted growth, distorted young leaves Shoots die Causes Iron deficiency.

Integrated Pest Management Web Sites

Web Sites - Biological Control and Integrated Pest Management

An electronic database on suppliers of beneficial organisms in North America with additional information onbiological control and integrated pest management is also available Both can be accessed through the Department

of Pesticide Regulation’s Home Page at http://www.cdpr.ca.gov

The following is a brief listing of university and government Web sites on biological control and integrated pest

Making a market for your garden

Many gourmet restaurants and markets will purchase high quality hydroponic produce, provided it is available in goodsupply and on a regular basis If you are interested in making a profit from your garden, you should first investigate thelocal marketplace and determine just what it is that you should grow Don’t try to compete with everyone else, identify

a unique opportunity for a high profit plant by interviewing the owners and operators of these establishments I havefound that growing culinary herbs is the best way to make extra income from your garden Of course there’s alwaysthe tomato and pepper plants which are a staple food for most, but both require much more space and considerablymore time to harvest Growing fresh cut flowers can also be very profitable, however, it is a harder market to penetrateand flowers take longer to grow than herbs The reason herbs make such a great product to produce and market issimple; the most popular culinary herbs are all leafy plants that will grow like wild in your hydroponic garden beforegetting started, you should contact your local county clerk’s office to determine what legal requirements you’ll need tomeet to start your own business So let’s take a look at how we can get started in making a market for your garden.Investigate your local market

The most important thing you can do before planting any herbs to sell is to visit your local markets and mine what they sell and where the opportunity exists Take a look at the fresh herb fridge and see what they haveand how fresh it is Nine times out of ten you will be amazed at how ragged their “fresh” herbs really are! Have alook at the prices and jot them down Also, take notes of the quantities being sold in each package Usually freshherbs are sold by the “bunch” which in most cases is about as much as you could grab in your hand Study thepackaging and labels as you will need to create a unique identity for your own Visit as many small markets asyou can in your immediate area Compile your information and organize it so you can determine what is sellingand for how much Below is a list of what I have determined to be the best selling herbs in order of importance.Assign a retail price to each from the research you have conducted

deter-Most popular culinary herbs in order of marketability:

Basil: Ocimum basilicum

Dill: Anethum graveolens

French Tarragon: Artemesia dracunculus

Mint: Mentha

Oregano: Origanum

Sweet Marjoram: Marjorana hortensis

French Sorrel: Rumex scutatus

Rosemary: Rosemary officinalis

Chive: Allium schoenoprasum

Parsley: Petroselinum crispum

Thyme: Thymus

Sage: Salvia officinalis

Product quality considerations

Quality is by far the most important consideration that will determine your success If you are growing cally, you are already ahead of the game However, you will certainly want to perfect your method before consid-ering commercial success If you are totally new to hydroponics and gardening, take a few months getting yourgreen thumb cause once you go commercial, you will be counted upon to deliver quality produce on time